Index-filing system.



INDEX FILING SYSTEM.

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ZSHBETS EEEEEE 1.

Wi'nesses No. 871,102. y PATENTED NOV. I9, 1907. J. B. BLAINE, JR.

INDEX FILING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.1a,19o6.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 2.

7 HHHHH) HHH HHHH l IH UNITE@ STATES PATENT oracion.

vJOHN EWING FLAINE, JR., OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO GLOBE-WERNICKE I COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

INDEX-FILIN(31- SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters- Patent.

Patented Nov. 19, 1907.

Application site November 13.1906. Serin No. 343.243.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be itknown that I', JOHN EWING BLAINE, Jr., a citizenof vthe United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have yinvented certain new and useful Im rovements in Index-Filing Systems, of W 'ch the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanylng drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to, primarily, what are known as'vertical files for the reception of correspondence, account cards, bills, invoices, or any other loose papersto which reference may be required at any time, and it lhas for its object the provision of a system andmeans for carrying out the same Sheet ,1, is a perspective view of a wellknown form of'iling drawer containing index cards. and folders, embodying the novel means of my inventionand partly illustrating how the novel system is to be carried out.

- Fig. 2,` Sheet 2, is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 showing in dotted lines, the arrange-` ment of folders directly behind the index` cards, whichv are to contain miscellaneous papers. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a View correspending to F 1g. 2 with the index cards se arated so as to give access Lto all of the fol ers under the general divisin of the letter M.

Fig. 4,. Sheet 2, is a perspective view of one of the folders, removed from the case and embodying a novel feature of my invention in its referred form.A Fig. 5,- Sheet 2, is a front e evation of one of the index cards with the position of a folder, directly behind it,

indicated in dotted lines. a. view corresponding to Fig. e

folders separated on the in x letter M and with the miscellaneous folder'of that division removed. Fig. 7, Sheet 1, is a erspective view of the miscellaneous fo der removed from Fig. A 6. Fig. 8, Sheet 1, is a ierspective view of one of the ordinar folders as distinguished from the misce Fig. 6, Sheet 1, is

3 showing thel laneous folder, and belonging to any one of the divisions or sub-divisions, in this instance to the division NI.

The same numerals of reference are used to indicate identical )arts in all of the figures. Referring to the rawings, 1 represents a well known form of sliding drawer, of which there are usually a number inclosed in compartments in a cabinet, to exclude dust, and 'this drawer is shown rovided with side rails 2 with forward sliding extensions 3 ivoted at their front ends to the hinged and ockable upward portion 4 of the front wall of the drawer 1. The foregoing is simply a preferred form of drawer construction for ho ding the index cards and folders and needs no further description, as, with a rearward compressing follower, not shown,.it is well known to the art.

The index cards 5 are the usual, or' any suitable index cards with tabs or projections 8 on one edge, in this instance the top edge, containing letters of-the alphabet, or simply differing colors, or both, and which tabs are in alinement, in the manner illustrated, so as to not obscure each other and whereby they may bc'all instantlytaken in atv a glance. A further and essential distinction in the arrangement of these tabs is that they occupy a space which is only a portion of the space occupied by the whole width'of the cards, in this instance, one half of *the space and on the left side of the drawer, though they might be on the right side or a art of them on the right side and a part of t em on the4 left side, at the option of the m'anufac The usual locking-rod turer or customer. whose thumb-button is indicated at 6 (Figs. `1, 2, and 3) may be em loyed for theindex cards or may be omitted as in Fig. 6.

Between the index cards are loosely placed the divisional orsub-divisional fol ers Figs. 4 and 8 of which my preferred form 1s indicated in Fig. 4, the same being a folder of stout manila or other paper or 'other sultable flexible material, the two sides 7A of which are of equal width with the index cards and of the same height in their preico ferred form of construction, though one side,

referably the forward side, ma be of less eight than the rear side. The iigher side, whlchever it may be, has upon its upper edge a projection or tab 9, and in Fig. 8 the tab 8a which ma contain the name of an individual or ot er indexing matter, or simply a distinguishing color and these projections or tabs are all 1n alinement witheach other and occupy a spacevin the drawer compartment or cabinet to one side of the vtabs of the index cards, in this instancev the right hand slde, although where the grouping of the in'- dex cards is changed, as above indicated, the tabs ofthe folders may be'correspond'n ly changed. For instance; six of the in ex IA'), {(B), IC), (IDI), {IE7 7 KFJ. might occupy one side of the compartment with the tabs 8a occup ing the opposite side of the compartment, t at is to say, the tabs of the particular foldersI occupying theirl proper relation in transverse line, with the tabs of the indexcards; whilethe next six tabs of the index cards might project on-a s1de of the compartment opposite to that of the first six7 with the tabs ofthe folders beto said indexV cards occupying a'posltion zbehind the tabs of the first six index cards and so on.. This arrangement would not create confusion and is within the 'spirit of my invention.

In addition to the folders, having the t bs 8a, I employ another folder for each index card, which preferably occu ies a position dlrectly behind its index car and .has atab 9 in line with and -below the tab of its index card, as seen by the dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3. These folders do not have the tabs' 8@L and they are simply intended to hold miscellaneous-matter under the division, class, or sub-division to which they belong. l For instance, the folders with the "tabs 8iL are for well known customers of the us'er of thefile, while the folders withftle tabs 9 are for the infrequent and miscellaneous correspond'- ence -or other matter, of which the user wishes to keep in touch with, and instead of having to 0o through 'a whole number of folders to fin `'the' particular matter o i' this miscellan'em ous data, it can b e instantly turned to by reference Ato its proper index card. The papers to be filed are of course to be carried-in the respective folders under their proper indices, whether of numerals, letters'of the al'- phabet, or colors, and being-loose in saidv folders they'- can be immediately inspected and taken out if desired, and the whole folder may be taken out, as illustrated in*` Figs. 7 and 8. v

My preferred construction foi' the folders illustrated in Fig. 4, where the bottom edges' of each are connected by bellows-flaps orfolds 10` to permit expansion .withoutdraw- `pied by the indexin.

ing down the sides of the folders, and under which circumstances their upper ed es would be obscured and their tabs would e drawn extensive use,`t'o be exceedingly valuable and a great convenience and economy in the saving of time becauseof the almost instantaneous direction given to the user just where to look for any particular paper that he may want.

-Having thus full y described my invention, lclaimz- 1. A series of index cards distinguished by having` projecting indicating tabs, the said projecting tabs cccupyinga spacein one portion of the retaining compartment, coinbind with a series of folders ingroups for each index card, said folders being provided with indexing tabs occupying a position opposite to that of the tabs of their respective indexing cards, substantially as described.

2. series of index cards distinguished by tion of the retaining compartment, combined wlth'a serles of folders 1n groups for each 1ndex card, said folders being provided with indexing'tabs occupying'a position opposite to that ofthe tabsof their respective indexing cards, and a series of miscellaneous folders provided with indexing tabs occupying a position in the portion of the compartment occu- 'substantially as described.

`3; A filing .system of the character described coniprising a series of index cards with indexing tabs occupying a position in one portion ol' the retaining compartment, a series of miscellaneous folders provided with indexing tabs in line with the tabs of the indexing cards, and a series of other folders having indexing tabs occupying aposition in the other portion of ther retaining compartment opposite' t.; that of the tabs of the indexing cards, whereby the filing and inspection of any particular folder or -papercmtained therein may be accomplished without loss of time, substantially as described.

GERTRUDE BECK, Unas. M. PECK.

' tabs of the index cards, 

